With the harsh winters and heavy rains that the homes in the Northeast Ohio region deal with every year, it’s no wonder many older homes deal with wet or leaky basements. Melting snow in the early spring and then the rain that follows, make the ground wet and often too saturated for the water to flow away from the foundation. The water can find its way into the basement and cause havoc with the foundation of your home, it can cause irreparable damage to storage goods you have in there. Electrical problems are dangerous when you have a flooded basement, and the wooden beams or other wooden support you have in your basement can be jeopardized because of the water leaks. Take care of a leaky or wet basement sooner rather than later, the cost associated with the damage can increase as the problem is left unattended, and your health can be jeopardized as well. Call us for a hassle free consultation.
Wet basements can be prevented
Heavy storms or steady rain can have the potential to leave homeowners with a wet basement throughout the spring and summer months.
Mark Luba, marketing director at Baker’s Waterproofing and Foundation Repair in Bentleyville, said to help prevent water from entering a basement, homeowners need to make sure their downspouts are open and running away from the house.
The company, owned by Brian Baker, provides services in Fayette, Greene, Washington and surrounding counties.
Also, said Luba, make sure the slope leads away from the house so water doesn’t make its way back toward the foundation.
“When you talk to a homeowner one of their biggest concerns are their (basement) space,” said Luba. “It’s either they want it for dry storage so they can keep valuables, for living space, and they want good air quality.”
Keep your home dry during the spring melt
There are several things homeowners can do to prevent basement flooding this time of year.
As evidence of the harsh winter finally melts into our memories, we’re breathing easier that it’s spring.
But before you sigh with relief and start dragging out the patio furniture, stop to think about where all that snow melt goes. There are several things you can do as a homeowner to prevent basement flooding this spring.
Watch for these common waterproofing problems, often around the interior and exterior of basements. Solutions are available, but early detection is best for your budget.
Wall cracks: Cracks along the interior foundation walls may start out small but expand due to ground settling, hydrostatic pressure and seasonal freeze/thaw cycles.
Beware of cracks & shoddy construction
Jagvir Goyal
Though every house builder tries to take the best preventive measures during the construction yet leakage and seepage are often seen in the houses. The reasons for such occurrences are inadequate workmanship during construction, lack of knowledge of the right preventive measures, not taking proper steps for water-proofing, occurrence of cracks due to structural settlements or differential expansion of materials and lack of post-construction care.
Let’s have a look at the post-construction checks to be made and the treatments to be done to stop a leakage or seepage:
Post construction checks
The following checks should be made from time to time to avoid a leakage or seepage in any part of the house
